LITHIA - Newsome's Tara McCluskey had taken pressure shots in pressure games before. She'd banged home countless penalty kicks in practice and had the routine down cold.
But this one was for the district crown.
"I was a little nervous before the kick," McCluskey said. "But I told myself I had made big shots before, and I tried to stay positive."
The strategy paid off.
McCluskey hammered home Newsome's fifth penalty kick as the Wolves overcame soggy conditions and defeated Freedom to capture the Class 4A, District 11 title Friday. The teams tied at 2 in regulation, and the Wolves won the penalty kick round 5-3.
"These girls didn't give up all night," Newsome coach Kathy Dodd said of her team. "We just kept fighting."
Second-year Newsome stayed perfect in district championship games. The Wolves will be home for next week's region playoffs while Freedom will have to travel.
Dodd said the teams' last meeting played a major role in the win. The Patriots scored two in the last 10 minutes to beat Newsome 2-1.
"The girls remembered last time," Dodd said. "They remembered it tonight and were not going to let (Freedom) come back this time."
For a while, exactly the opposite was true.
Every time Newsome scored, the Patriots answered quickly until the teams deadlocked after regulation and extra time. But Newsome goalkeeper Taryn Fabian turned back Carolyn Ball's first penalty kick and the Wolves went 5-for-5, capped by McCluskey's drive into the lower right-hand corner of the net.
McCluskey opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with a blast from abut 25 yards past Jana Belflower. Freedom's Kjerstin Kishel evened the score in the 47th minute, but Newsome regained the lead a minute later when Lisa Heise lofted a left-footed looper just over the head of Belflower. Newsome again tied the score five minutes later when Vanessa Rangel flicked the ball just past a diving Fabian.
"Every time (Freedom) would come back and score the tying goal so quick, everyone just started sulking," McCluskey said. "I just kept going around telling everyone to keep their heads up and we would get it done."
